Rajasthan’s Desert Development Department has introduced the Thar Desert Resilience Index (TDRI), a tool to measure ecosystem health, community adaptation, and climate impact across desert districts. The index considers groundwater levels, vegetation, livestock health, and weather variability. Each district will receive an annual rating and recommendations for water conservation, pasture revival, and heat mitigation. The first report shows Barmer and Jaisalmer at medium resilience, while Bikaner scored low due to depleted aquifers. NGOs and local panchayats will now use the index to plan grassroots projects.